(1/27) The demand for the Carroll Valley Borough Police Department is on the rise.
Police Chief Cliff Weikert announced during January’s council meeting that the department responded to 1,807 calls in Carroll Valley throughout 2024, a 38% increase compared to 2023. The department also provides coverage to nearby Fairfield Borough and responded to 641 calls there, Weikert said.
Carroll Valley and Fairfield citizens rely on Pennsylvania State Police when local officers are not on duty. In 2024, state police responded to 85 calls, a 45% decrease from 2023, Weikert said. The chief noted the decline was despite the local department not being fully staffed until May.
Mental health-related calls are on the rise, Weikert said. The department responded to 102 mental health/welfare checks, a 55% increase from 2023. Weikert praised the work of McKenzie Johnson, a Wellspan employee who is a trained crisis intervention specialist. Johnson co-responds with police officers to ensure the residents are getting the help they need.
"A lot of times when they are in crisis, that’s what they need–to talk to someone," Weikert said.
Traffic stops are also on the rise. In 2024, officers stopped 480 vehicles. Weikert noted the increase could be attributed to more officers on the road.
In a related matter, the council unanimously voted to abolish the Public Safety Committee. Borough Manager Dave Hazlett said the committee has met four times since December 2016 and not once since March 2022.
Hazlett told the board that the committee was only an advisory board and council often discusses matters that would fall under its purview. For example, the council recently discussed asking PennDOT to add a traffic light to the intersection of Route 116 and 16 and add yellow reflectors along Route 116. Resident Steve Semiatin submitted both requests.
If the committee was active, council would need to tell Semiatin to go to the Public Safety Committee meeting. The committee would discuss it and make a recommendation that would ultimately land back on council’s agenda.
"We try to avoid red tape as much as we can at the local level," Hazlett said. "That really does add a level of red tape to the problem."
At the beginning of the meeting, Councilman John Schubring continued his plea for an independent investigation into the police department and Mayor Ron Harris concerning an alleged tailgating incident in April. Council allowed Schubring to speak but did not respond to his comments.
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